Habitat Data for the Gulf of California
There are a variety of habitats located within the Gulf of California ecoregion. In an effort to understand the data available, various sources were explored. This includes a coastline habitat classification system, the wetlands of importance as determined by the Ramsar List, mangrove polygons from SIMAR and CONABIO, and the area of different types of habitats within a 500km^2 area.
Global Coastline Fine Classification System (GCL_FCS30)
This high-resolution dataset classifies coastlines globally, and is cropped to the Gulf of California’s ecoregion. It splits the coastline into six distinct categories at 30-meter resolution. The interactive map shows how these different coastline types are distributed:
Artificial coastlines (purple): Human-built structures like ports and seawalls
Biogenic coastlines (blue): Natural formations including mangroves and marshes
Sandy coastlines (teal): Beach and dune environments
Muddy coastlines (green): Tidal flats and sediment-rich zones
Rocky coastlines (yellow-green): Cliff faces and bedrock shorelines
Estuary coastlines (yellow): Transition zones where rivers meet the sea
The map allows you to toggle between different coastline types to visualize their distribution throughout the Gulf. Zooming in on the interactive map will provide a better understanding of each coastline type’s spatial distribution.
While this map only shows the classification for 2020, the dataset also includes data for 2010 and 2015. Therefore, it is valuable for monitoring coastal changes, development impacts, and natural habitat distribution over time.